WASHINGTON, DC - The House of Representatives today passed four bipartisan Energy and Commerce Committee bills that will expand broadband infrastructure and strengthen public safety communications.
Passing the House today was:
H.R. 2345, the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, authored by Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), to direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in consultation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to study and report on the feasibility of designating an N11 dialing code to be used for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system. H.R. 2345 passed the House by a vote of 379-1.
H.R. 4881, Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018, authored by #SubDCCP Chairman Latta and Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA), to require the FCC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to form a task force to evaluate the best ways to meet the broadband needs of precision agriculture. H.R. 4881 passed the House by a vote of 378-4.
H.R. 5709, Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement (PIRATE) Act, authored by #SubCommTech Vice Chairman Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), to increase fines for illegal pirate operations from $10,000 per violation to $100,000 per day per violation, up to a maximum of $2,000,000, and streamline the FCC’s enforcement. By preventing illegal pirate radio operations, airwaves are kept free for legitimate broadcasters and public safety announcements. H.R. 5709 passed the House by voice vote.
H.R. 3994, the Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand (ACCESS BROADBAND) Act, authored by Rep. Tonko and Rep. Lance, to establish an Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to coordinate and track federal funding for broadband across all agencies. This is an important step in the NTIA reauthorization process the subcommittee began last year and continued with the recent #SubCommTech legislative hearing on draft NTIA reauthorization legislation. H.R. 3994 passed the House by voice vote.
All four bills were unanimously approved by #SubCommTech in June 2018 and passed the full committee by voice vote earlier this month.
“From closing the digital divide to enhancing public safety, the bills before us are important wins for our nation’s telecommunications infrastructure and the American people. Their bipartisan passage speaks to the dedication of members from both sides of the aisle to these critical issues. We urge the Senate to advance these bills to the President’s desk," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and #SubCommTech Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
